IBM and its subsidiary Kyndryl have been hit with a lawsuit for age discrimination, alleging that older workers were laid off while younger ones were hired for similar roles. The complaint was filed on behalf of five veteran executives who combined served the two companies for over 150 years. Despite denials of systemic age discrimination from IBM’s HR officer in 2022, the lawsuit claims that the company is still targeting older employees. IBM’s history of age discrimination cases, including one from 2021, supports this claim. The lawsuit also references a leaked video of CEO Arvind Krishna allegedly linking manager bonuses to diversity goals, which could be discriminatory.
This recent lawsuit builds on other age discrimination complaints against IBM and Kyndryl, highlighting ongoing discriminatory practices. Just last year, IBM’s Red Hat was sued for racial discrimination, and Kyndryl faced similar accusations from employees in the CISO Defense security group. Previous cases against IBM and Kyndryl, as well as the EEOC’s determination of age discrimination, further support these claims. The complaint alleges that IBM used coded language and biased predictive analytics to target older workers for layoffs, while executives formulated layoffs to disproportionately affect older employees.
The lawsuit also accuses IBM of replacing older workers with younger ones, using different job titles and organizational structures to conceal the discrimination. Even after Kyndryl separated from IBM, it is alleged that the spin-off continued these discriminatory practices inherited from the mainframe maker. IBM and Kyndryl are facing charges of age discrimination, retaliation, and violations of state employment law. The companies have not responded to requests for comment.
In summary, IBM and Kyndryl are facing yet another lawsuit for age discrimination, with claims of targeting older workers for layoffs and hiring younger ones in their place. The lawsuit cites evidence of discriminatory practices and attempts to conceal the discrimination through coded language and organizational changes. The allegations of age discrimination, retaliation, and violations of state employment law add to the companies’ history of legal challenges in this area.
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https://www.theregister.com/AMP/2024/06/20/ibm_and_kyndryl_again_sued/